(Boston, MA - May 9, 2024) – Boston public media producer GBH has been honored with five George Foster Peabody Awards for outstanding productions released in 2023. Announced today, the 84th annual Peabody Awards recognize the work of FRONTLINE, GBH News and WORLD.

“Congratulations to our teams at FRONTLINE, GBH News, and WORLD, whose work represents GBH’s strength in producing trustworthy journalism and fostering thoughtful partnerships. The five special stories honored today address some of the most pressing conflicts of our time, and reveal our country’s unsung history, from a groundbreaking dancer in the age of AIDS to breaking ground on a game-changing highway project,” said Susan Goldberg, president and CEO of GBH. “We are grateful to the Peabody Award Board of Jurors for this honor, which underscores the crucial role of public media in expanding our understanding of the world. ”

FRONTLINE, the investigative journalism series produced at GBH, was honored with three awards: 20 Days in Mariupol, a 2024 Academy Award winner, was recognized in the documentary category; FRONTLINE also won in the public service category for America and the Taliban, and in the news category for Clarence & Ginni Thomas: Politics, Power and the Supreme Court.

GBH News won its first-ever Peabody Award in the radio/podcast category for The Big Dig, a podcast produced in partnership with PRX. The nine-part limited series examines American infrastructure through the lens of the most expensive highway project in the nation’s history.

“Using rich archival media and first-person accounts, the team at GBH brought to life the story behind one of our country’s most transformational infrastructure projects, igniting discussions on what America might be capable of building today,” said Pam Johnston, General Manager of GBH News. “We are thrilled that The Big Dig has received a Peabody Award, a first for GBH News, which we share with our talented colleagues at PRX.”

Produced at GBH in Boston, WORLD is public media’s premiere multiplatform channel showcasing diverse voices. WORLD was honored by the Peabody Awards in the arts category for the AfroPop: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange documentary Can You Bring It: Bill T. Jones and D-Man in the Waters. AfroPop is co-produced in partnership with Black Public Media.

Awarded by the Peabody Board of Jurors through unanimous vote, the George Foster Peabody Awards aim to recognize storytelling across television, radio, and digital media, honoring projects that reflect today’s most pressing social issues. The winners of the 84th annual Peabody Awards will be honored during a ceremony on June 9 in Los Angeles, California.

GBH’s 2024 Peabody Award winners by category are:

Arts

  • WORLD: Can You Bring It: Bill T. Jones and D-Man in the Waters. Directed by Rosalynde LeBlanc and Tom Hurwitz, and produced in partnership with Black Public Media, Can You Bring It: Bill T. Jones and D-Man in the Waters explores the enduring legacy of choreographer-dancer-director Bill T. Jones’ 1989 ballet, “D-Man in the Waters,” which emerged during the height of the AIDS crisis. 

Documentary

  • FRONTLINE: 20 Days in Mariupol. This Academy Award-winning documentary draws on Mstyslav Chernov’s daily news dispatches and personal footage of the Russia-Ukraine war, offering a vivid, harrowing account of civilians caught in the siege. Made in partnership with The Associated Press, 20 Days in Mariupol is directed, written and produced by Chernov, and produced and edited by FRONTLINE’s Michelle Mizner alongside producers Raney Aronson-Rath, FRONTLINE’s editor-in-chief and executive producer, and Derl McCrudden, AP’s vice president of news.

News 

  • FRONTLINE: Clarence & Ginni Thomas: Politics, Power and the Supreme Court FRONTLINE tells the inside story of Clarence and Ginni Thomas’ path to power, uncovering how race, power, and controversy shaped the rise of the Supreme Court justice and his wife. Made with support from Preserving Democracy, a public media initiative from The WNET Group, Clarence & Ginni Thomas: Politics, Power and the Supreme Court is directed by Michael Kirk and produced by Michael Kirk, Mike Wiser, and Vanessa Fica. The team of writers includes Michael Kirk and Mike Wiser, with Elliott Choi serving as editor.

Podcast & Radio

  • GBH News and PRX: The Big Dig podcast. Hosted by Ian Coss, the nine-episode series examines the history of Boston’s megaproject, the Big Dig, one of the most expensive highway projects in the nation’s history. The podcast is produced by Ian Coss and Isabel Hibbard, alongside Editor Lacy Roberts, Executive Producer Devin Maverick Robins, and Editorial Advisor Stephanie Leydon. Fact checking by Lisa Wardle, Elena Eberwein, Sam Dieringer, and Jeb Sharp. Archival support from Peter Higgins. Project management overseen by Mei Lei. Music, mixing, and sound design by Ian Coss. Podcast art by Matt Welch. 

Public Service

  • FRONTLINE: America and the Taliban. The three-part series uncovers how America’s 20-year investment in Afghanistan culminated in Taliban victory. Drawing from extensive on-the-ground reporting and interviews with Taliban and U.S. officials, the documentary explores the missteps and consequences of America’s involvement in Afghanistan. America and the Taliban is written and directed by Martin Smith and Marcela Gaviria, and produced by Brian Funck, Marcela Gaviria, and Martin Smith.

About GBH

GBH is the leading multiplatform creator for public media in America. As the largest producer of content for PBS and partner to NPR and PRX, GBH delivers compelling experiences, stories and information to audiences wherever they are. GBH produces digital and broadcast programming that engages, illuminates and inspires, through drama and science, history, arts, culture and journalism. GBH is the creator of such signature programs as MASTERPIECE, ANTIQUES ROADSHOW, FRONTLINE, NOVA, AMERICAN EXPERIENCE and Arthur and Molly of Denali and a catalog of streaming series, podcasts and on-demand video. GBH’s television channels include GBH 2, GBH 44, GBH Kids and national services GBH WORLD and Create. With studios and a newsroom headquartered in Boston, GBH reaches across New England with GBH 89.7, Boston’s Local NPR; CRB Classical 99.5; CAI, the Cape and Islands NPR station and as a partner to NEPM in Springfield. Dedicated to making media accessible to and representative of our diverse culture, GBH is a pioneer in delivering media to audience members who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind and visually impaired. With PBS LearningMedia, GBH creates curriculum-based digital content for educators nationwide. GBH’s local programming includes Boston Public Radio, Greater Boston, Stories from the Stage, The Culture Show, Basic Black and High School Quiz Show. GBH has been recognized with hundreds of the nation’s premier broadcast, digital and journalism awards. Find more information at gbh.org.

Media Contact:
Vitoria Poejo
GBH External Relations
917-597-3353
Vitoria_Poejo@wgbh.org